Retro - News
August2022
News Chibi-Robo Director Doesn't Think Skip Ltd Will Release Another Entry In The Series
"Most of the staff have moved on to other companies"
There's nothing quite like Chibi-Robo. The teeny, tiny little robot came out late in the GameCube's lifespan in the west and never really got the love he deserved. We never forgot about him at least, but it's been a quiet few years since developer Skip Ltd and Chibi-Robo have plugged into...
Random What Do You Mean Super Mario's Donut Blocks Aren't Based On Donuts?
"Jelly-filled are my favourite"
Donut blocks. We all know them, and we all either love them or hate them as they collapse under the weight of our platforming plumber Mario. These platforms have been around since Super Mario Bros. 3, always waiting to lure us in with the safety of a flat surface, before falling and taking us Mario to his demise...
News 20th Super Mario Kart Championships Start Their Engines On Twitch Today
Off to the races
We are rapidly approaching the 30th anniversary of Super Mario Kart's Japanese release on the Super Famicom, but what if we told you that there is another SMK-adjacent anniversary happening today? We are, of course, talking about the Super Mario Kart Championships, which will be racing off the start line today in its 20th year of...
Random Vintage Nintendo Playing Card Opening Ends In Disaster For Collector
“I cannot overstate how excited I was"
We've covered Nintendo's history a lot here at NL, and not just the video game side. At this point, it's pretty well known that before Nintendo jumped into gaming, it was well known for producing handmade hanafuda playing cards. And if you're a hardcore Nintendo collector, you'll likely want to get your hands...
News This Stealth GameCube Mod Allows You To Play With Any Bluetooth Controller
Pre-orders now available
The GameCube might not have had the same widespread appeal as the PlayStation 2 or the original Xbox, but it was still an amazing gaming system. One thing it arguably did better than other systems at the time was wireless controllers - with the Wavebird considered by many as the pioneer of modern wireless gamepads. If you...
Poll So, Wave Race 64 Or Blue Storm - Which Is Best?
Or are you a GB purist?
The arrival of Wave Race 64 on Switch as part of the Nintendo Switch Online Expansion Pack has been the cause of much celebration in the Nintendo Life office. Those water physics have the power to impress some two-and-a-half decades on, and it still handles like a dream. If you've never played the game — or if you're a PAL...
Guide SEGA Genesis Mini 2 Games List - Every Mega Drive And SEGA CD Game, All 61 Titles
Sega's latest mini console is out now
Following the success of its original Mega Drive / Genesis Mini, Sega has officially launched a second iteration of the miniature console, dubbed the Sega Mega Drive / Genesis 2. Our friends over at Time Extension managed to get extensive hands-on time with the new system and have published their thoughts in a...
Review Wave Race 64 - A Thrilling Racer That's Still Deeply Impressive
Splash wave
This review originally went live in 2016, and we're updating and republishing it to mark the game's arrival on Switch as part of the Nintendo Switch Online Expansion Pack. Wave Race was not a well-known series prior to its arrival on the Nintendo 64. Actually, it wasn't a series at all, but rather a single release: a top-down racer on...
Random This Prototype Transforms Your Switch Into A Home Arcade Cabinet
Nintendo Switch XL
One of the most appealing features of the Switch when it was first released back in 2017 was its ability to be played in both handheld and docked mode. But what if there was another way to play? This is a question that seems to have plagued the incredibly talented designers over at Passocade, and what they came up with is surely...
Random Masahiro Sakurai Updated His Awesome Gaming Setup, Here's A Look
What's up with the Switch dock?
When he's not making huge games like Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, video game director Masahiro Sakurai is actually playing them. Yes, as you've likely already seen before, he's got an extensive collection of consoles and games (new and old). In a new post on social media, it seems Sakurai has updated his gaming space...
Feature Mega Man, Crash Bandicoot, And Gex - The '90s Inspirations Behind 'Frogun'
We'll tell you what we want, what we really really want
Why is that '90s and 2000s fashion coming back as a new trend is so utterly distressing to those of us that were there, but '90s and '00s video game aesthetics resurfacing is a good thing? We don't have answers for you, but we do have Frogun, a charmingly goofy action-platformer game that...
News Super Punch-Out!! Hidden Two-Player Mode Discovered 28 Years Later
No hacks or mods required
There's been a historic discovery made within the 1994 Super Nintendo release Super Punch-Out!! today. A Twitter account known as 'Unlisted Cheats' has uncovered a hidden two player mode in the game. To access this option, on the game's start screen you'll have to hold the 'Y' and 'R' buttons on the second player's...
News Sega's Latest Mini-Console Is Cute, But Reviewers Are Complaining Of Bad Lag
Bad news for shmups
Sega's latest mini-console, the Astro City Mini V, has just been released, bringing 22 vertical shmups to people who may not have had access to many of these Japan-only, arcade-only titles before... but, let's be realistic, this teeny-tiny little cabinet is for the kind of hardcore arcade nerds that can afford to drop $180 on...
News GAME's 'Home Arcade' Range Lets You Build The Arcade Of Your Dreams
Pac-Man, Galaga, Space Invaders and more!
UK retailer GAME has kicked off a new 'The Home from Home Arcade' campaign in partnership with Arcade1Up, a manufacturer of officially licensed arcade cabinets. If you've ever wanted to create the arcade of your dreams in your spare room, or even just pick up a full-size cabinet to plonk in your lounge,...
News SNK Announces Neo Geo Pocket Color Selection Vol.2, Coming Soon
"More info" is on the way
SNK has announced Neo Geo Pocket Color Selection Vol.2 is "coming soon". No platforms have been revealed just yet, but the Switch is in with a good chance after the first volume was released on the platform last year. There's no word on the lineup of games this volume will include at the moment, but we're likely to see...
News There's Now A New Classic Console To Keep Your LEGO NES Company
Update: LEGO Atari now available
Update: The LEGO Atari is now available to purchase, available directly from LEGO's website. Here are the links you need: <products id="19770"> Original Article (Tue 19th Jul, 2022 17:30 BST): LEGO are on a roll with its video game tie-ins at the moment! We've got the Mighty Bowser roaring us down in...
July2022
News Sega Genesis Mini 2 Stock Expected To Be In Short Supply Locally
Global semiconductor shortages are to blame
If you're hoping to secure a Sega Genesis Mini 2 when it arrives in North America this October, you might want to act fast. This system, loaded with over 50 classic games including Sega CD titles, is expected to be in short supply. Ars Technica reached out to Sega's main office and received confirmation...
News Nintendo DS Firmware 'Prototype' Reveals System's Unique Boot Up Sound Effect
It even works on "real hardware"
Nintendo preservation website Forest of Illusion has managed to acquire another rare piece of gaming history. It's been able to archive a Japan prototype of the Nintendo DS X4 firmware - recovered from an X4 prototype unit. According to the source, "just about every aspect of this version is different from the final...
Feature SEGA's Astonishing GameCube Rebound Following Defeat In The Console Wars
How SEGA turned its fortunes around and made friends with Nintendo
For gamers old enough to remember the turn of the century, the console landscape looked very different from how it does today. Everyone was excited for the PlayStation 2 and Nintendo was getting the GameCube ready to succeed the Nintendo 64. Microsoft's Xbox was also in development...
News Analogue Pocket's Major Beta Update Is Live, Here's What's New
Memories! OpenFPGA! SpaceWar!
Analogue's major beta update to its handheld console, the Analogue Pocket, is finally live for users to download, and introduces much anticipated additions to the experience including Memories, Libraries, and openFPGA, Analogue's developer program. Detailed in an announcement post from Analogue itself, the biggest...
News Say Hello To Time Extension, The Newest Member Of Our Network
If you like classic gaming, you'll love this...
As you'll no doubt be aware, Nintendo Life is just one of three sites we operate here at Hookshot Media. We also operate Push Square and Pure Xbox, but it's been quite some time since we launched an entirely new site – but that changed this week. Say hello to Time Extension, the newest member of the...
Random N64 Cart Album Composer Returns With A Funky GBA Follow-Up
Transport yourself back in time
Remute is back with another unique album release, but this time on a different console. The musician released an album on an N64 cartridge earlier this year, and he's followed this release up with a fantastic-sounding GBA cartridge. Yep, your tiny little Game Boy Micro (or whatever model of GBA, but we're going extra...
Random This Fan's Enormous Nintendo Collection Makes All Others Look Tiny
Years in the making
We at Nintendo Life love a good collection, but YouTuber Nintendo Downunder has truly blown us away. In a video uploaded yesterday, the mega fan shows off his collection of Nintendo consoles, games and accessories which is enough to keep even the biggest fan's jaw firmly on the floor for a long time. The video is the creator's...
News You Can Now Play Steam Games Using Your Retro Switch Controllers
Retro is the way forward
Steam received a brand new update yesterday that might interest some of you who own one (or multiple) of the Switch's retro controllers. VGC reports that Valve's digital platform now supports the NES, SNES, N64, and Mega Drive / Genesis controllers. So you can play classics like Glover, multiple Mega Drive games, Chrono...
News There's A Brand New Game Boy Platformer Coming Out This Summer
Pre-orders for Lost Terminal are now available
PixelHeart, the publisher behind Guns of Mercy and Liberated, has announced that its next game is to be compatible with Game Boy systems. Yes, you read that correctly, a brand new game is coming to the Game Boy in 2022. Developed by Maxime Schutz, Lost Terminal is an underworld-set platformer and it...
Guide Every Nintendo Switch Online NES Game Ranked
All the NES games, ranked by you
Updated with Xevious following the March 2023 update. Remember, this list evolves as users rate the games within, so head to the game profiles and rate them out of 10 if you'd like to see the rankings below change. Enjoy! The collection of NES games available to Nintendo Switch Online subscribers continues to grow...
Guide Every Nintendo Switch Online SNES Game Ranked
All the SNES games, ranked by you
Updated with Side Pocket following the March 2023 update. Remember, this list evolves as users rate the games within, so head to the game profiles and rate them out of 10 if you'd like to see the rankings below alter. Enjoy! The library of SNES games available on Switch as part of the Nintendo Switch Online...
News This Game Boy-Inspired Handheld Is A Budget Answer To Modern-Day Retro Gaming
Cheap and cheerful chip tunes
If you're a fan of all of these new retro handhelds but don't quite have the budget for them, then we might just have the thing for you today. RGhandhelds today revealed the Retro Pixel Pocket, a little Game Boy-esque machine with four buttons and a clear casing that is just what it says it is — pocket-sized! The...
News Forgotten Gem 'Avenging Spirit' Is Making Its Way To Nintendo Switch
Game BOOy Horror
Right, get this — you're out on a nice date with your girlfriend until, annoyingly, you get horribly murdered by a crime syndicate. Now you're a ghost, and you have to team up with your girlfriend's dad to rescue her from said syndicate, but wait! There's more! The syndicate are one step ahead of you, because they're researching...
Random See How The World's Biggest Working Nintendo DS Was Created
Supersize Mii
We've all heard of the phrase 'go big or go home,' right? Well YouTuber and all-round tech wizard, Bigrig Creates, seems to have fully embodied its message with his latest video in which he assembles the world's biggest Nintendo DS. Sharing the video on his YouTube channel, BigRig assembles the system's iconic dual screens by...
Soapbox Correcting A Horrifying 15-Year Mistake By Finally Playing Elite Beat Agents
They don’t make rhythm games as bizarre as they used to
Soapbox features enable our individual writers and contributors to voice their opinions on hot topics and random stuff they've got on their minds. Today, Lowell makes amends for a poor life choice and finally gets down with that funky, funky beat... Rewind with me all the way back to...
Random Have You Seen This Cute, Unreleased Precursor To The Top Loader NES?
What could have been...
The North American version of the top-loading NES-101 All the way back in 1988, Nintendo would show to the media a brand new piece of hardware that would eventually become the Super Famicom, or the Super NES in the West. It was an exciting time for the gaming community as Nintendo entered the 16-bit era, though it seems...
News Namco Shmup Dragon Saber Is This Week's Arcade Archives Game
Dragon flight
If you love a good vertical shoot 'em up - Hamster's Arcade Archives collection has you got covered this week. The latest release for this library on the Switch is the 1990 Namco title, Dragon Saber. It's a sequel to Dragon Spirit, released in arcades back in 1987. In this game, the Huey and Siria, who have been transformed into...
News SEGA Genesis Mini 2 Confirmed For North American Release This October
Blasting to the West with SEGA CD games
Sega has announced that it's bringing the Genesis Mini 2 mini console to North America on 27th October. The mini console — which follows the original Mega Drive Mini and includes more Genesis titles and SEGA CD games to boot — was previously confirmed only for Japan, but we'll be enjoying the 50+ games it...
Random Voice Of Zelda In CD-i Games Would Love To Return To The Role
She's currently working on a homage to the CD-i series
The Legend of Zelda CD-i games might not have had much going for them, but one thing that was arguably impressive was the voice acting. Bonnie Jean Wilbur was the original Princess Zelda in the series - providing the voice for the character in the 1993 Philips CD-i releases Link: The Faces of...
Poll What's The Best Mario Kart Game?
Rate them Rainbow Roads
Some of us here at Nintendo Life Towers are convinced that your favourite Mario Kart game is simply the one you played first with three other players in the same room — or just one other player if you were there at the very beginning with Super Mario Kart on Super NES. We tend to think this because while we can all agree...
Random We Need To Play This Gorgeous Fan-Made Super Mario RPG Remake Now
A thing of beauty
Back in the '90s, whoever thought that Nintendo would team up with JRPG giants Square Enix (then known as Square or Squaresoft) to create a Mario RPG starring the Italian plumber, Princess Peach, and Bowser? Not us! But they did, and we're forever grateful for the existence of Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars. Despite...
Random This Fan-Made Mini TV With A Built-In Super NES Is Totally Adorable
Bite-sized classic gaming with a TV to match
One of our favourite console peripherals is the Joytech GameCube screen, a little attachable screen for the little box-shaped console that turned it into a portable console of sorts. Lots of mods for other consoles have been inspired by this little add-on, but today, we have something extra dinky that...
Review Zero Tolerance Collection - A Significant 16-Bit FPS That's Hard To Take These Days
Virtual neutrality
Thanks to ray casting, an early form of graphics processing that allowed the rendering of a 2D map as a pseudo-3D environment, Zero Tolerance, a true First-Person Shooter, arrived on Sega’s Mega Drive in 1994. What makes Zero Tolerance Collection significant — particularly for fans of the original — is its boast of...
News Creator Of Philips CD-i Game 'Hotel Mario' Talks Getting Approval From Nintendo
"They were pleased as far as I knew"
The Philips CD-i is one of the rare consoles that has the distinction of having played host to a few officially licensed Nintendo games. And not just any old Nintendo licenses, either, but Zelda and Mario. The latter of the two only got one game on the system — Hotel Mario, which is often considered one of the...
News Microsoft Renews Trademark For Rare's Classic N64 Game Blast Corps
Viva Piñata, too
Video game trademark renewals are always happening, and while they don't necessarily mean something is on the horizon, they do tend to create some excitement whenever it's a classic game or series we haven't heard about for some time. The latest ones, as highlighted by Game Rant, are tied to iconic British developer Rare - owned...
Random Witness The Star Trek DS9 Intro In Glorious 64-Bit, Zelda: Ocarina Of Time Style
It is not linear
A little while ago we covered the incredible work of @SpinaSanctuary and their Zelda 64-inspired, low-poly Star Trek creations. The last batch focused on the crew of the USS Enterprise from Star Trek: The Next Generation, rendering them in brilliantly blocky 64-bit form with a variety of instruments — Data with his violin, Riker...
Random This Incredible Super NES Manual Archive Will Get You All Nostalgic
All 844 English language manuals
We really miss physical game manuals. There was always a particular kind of joy that came from opening the box of a brand new video game and flicking through the pages of a manual to find out what the game was going to be like. Some of our favourites would get dog-eared, and torn up, but they were always well-loved...
Random Here's A Look At Masahiro Sakurai's Retro Video Game Collection
That's some neat filing
If you're looking for new ways to organise your retro video game collection, you might want to read on. Masahiro Sakurai, the creator of Kirby and director of the Smash Bros. series, recently shared an image on social media of his impressive library of retro games. As you can see he's got draws stacked with cartridges like...
Random This Browser-Based Version Of Mario Paint Composer Will Entertain For Hours
Face the music
What's the best part of Mario Paint? No, not the painting! The Composer mode! Who didn't spend hours on Mario Paint making tunes with fire flowers, mushrooms, coins, and boos? Mario Paint Composer has become something of an online hit in the years since the SNES game's release, with many budding musicians picking up their SNES mouse...
June2022
Movie Review GoldenEra - A Celebratory Examination Of GoldenEye 007's Creation And Impact
Worth its weight in gold
"A delayed game is eventually good, but a rushed game is forever bad." Ah, yes. The classic quote that may or may not have been uttered by Shigeru Miyamoto. With the gaming industry (understandably) experiencing an unusually high number of delays in recent years, the proclamation has been the subject of memes to the point...
Feature Remembering Klonoa's Dreamy GBA Platformers - Empires, Champions, And Puzzles
It's not only a phantasy
The ‘90s and 2000s were a totally different era. I can’t tell you how many times I sat down playing the same demo discs over and over or replaying the same handful of games as a kid. Bandai Namco’s old mascot Klonoa — soon to return in the upcoming Klonoa Phantasy Reverie Series — is the first-ever video game...
News Edia Crowdfunding Cosmic Fantasy Collection For Nintendo Switch
Campaign goal has already been met
Edia - the developer behind the recent Valis: The Fantasm Soldier Collection - has launched a crowdfunding campaign on the website Makuake for a special double-pack Nintendo Switch release. It's asking for 3 million yen (around $22,285 USD) to release Cosmic Fantasy: Adventure Boy Yuu and Cosmic Fantasy 2:...
Memory Pak After 20 Years, Eternal Darkness Really Deserves A Second Life
Being stuck on one system is pure insanity
Picture the setting. You’re walking around a grand mansion, testing out keys on locked doors, investigating every nook and cranny, and simply trying your best to figure out where you need to go and what you need to do. The rooms are well-lit and the furniture neatly positioned together. By all accounts,...
Review Pokémon Snap - Photo Fun That's Over Too Soon
Candid Camera + Pocket Monster
This review originally went live in 2016, and we're updating and republishing it to mark the game's arrival on Switch as part of the Nintendo Switch Online Expansion Pack. There are moments during Pokémon Snap where — upon finding a hidden path — the game ditches the first-person perspective to show your...
News Boss Fight Announces New Documentary Book Focused On GoldenEye 007
Based on "exclusive interviews with the developers"
Boss Fight Books are known as the publisher of multiple in-depth deep-dives of beloved video games, from Metal Gear Solid to The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask, each one written by mega-fan authors, writers, and developers, often with interviews from the people who made the games. And Boss Fight...
News The Sega Genesis Is Getting A New 6-Button Controller, And It Will Work With Switch
Say hello to the 'Big6'
Back when the Sega Mega Drive / Genesis was first released, it came with a 3-button pad which – in 1988 – felt like the future. It wasn't square and boxy like the NES and Master System controllers but had a rounded, ergonomic shape which was more comfortable to hold, and it had one extra action button. Bliss! However, by...
News Never-Before-Seen Famicom Port Of Taito Arcade Game 'The Fairyland Story' Discovered
A fairytale of game preservation
Forest of Illusion, Hard4Games, and Gaming Alexandria have uncovered a pretty huge find in the world of retro arcade ports. Once upon a time, Taito's 1985 arcade predecessor to Bubble Bobble — The Fairyland Story — was due to get a Famicom port back in 1986. This version of the game was only ever spotted in
Feature Need More Turtles After Shredder's Revenge? You Should Check Out These Underrated TMNT Gems
Heroes in a handheld
Hopefully you’re all enjoying the absolutely tremendous Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredder's Revenge, the latest addition to the TMNT video gaming canon from Dotemu and Tribute games. We know we are. It’s another blistering action game in the tradition of Konami’s NES and SNES beat-’em-ups. And that’s great — we...
Random F1 Star Lewis Hamilton Couldn't Find Mario Kart, So He Bought Super Monaco GP II Instead
"I went to get Mario Kart but they didn’t have it"
Seven-time F1 world champion Lewis Hamilton has revealed that he's digging back into the past to let off steam during what is proving to be a demanding season. Hamilton was infamously beaten to the title last season by Max Verstappen in controversial circumstances, but rule changes this year have...
Guide Best Star Wars Games - Every Star Wars Game On Nintendo Systems Ranked
We sort the padawans from the poodoo
The release of Star Wars Episode IX: The Rise of Skywalker in 2019 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 which began way back in 1977. After all, Star Wars is never...
Hands On WaterField 'CitySlicker' Analogue Pocket Case
Your dream case?
If you're lucky enough to own an Analogue Pocket then you might be somewhat intimidated by the sheer range of storage options available right now. Analogue has its own hard-shell plastic case, but WaterField Designs now has three different choices on offer: the Pack, the
News You Can Now Hang Nintendo's Biggest-Selling Console On Your Wall
Don't feel bad, there are 154 million other ones out there
While old-school Nintendo gamers might feel the NES, SNES or Game Boy marked the zenith of the company's commercial powers, it's actually the Nintendo DS which holds the position of the Kyoto firm's most successful hardware release. The entire DS family has sold a staggering 154 million...
News Game Freak Had Plans For 65,535 Versions Of The Original Pokémon Game
But Shigeru Miyamoto didn't think it was the best idea
Pokémon has always had two different versions, but before the original games were released on Game Boy in 1996, Game Freak had plans for something else. In new translations of old Japanese interviews (via the YouTube channel Did You Know Gaming), it's revealed how Game Freak wanted 65,535...
News Unreleased Quake Prototype For Game Boy Advance Discovered
From the programmer of DOOM SNES
A bit like DOOM, id Software's first-person shooter Quake has been ported officially (and unofficially) to just about every platform under the sun that's capable of running 3D natively. Did you know though there was also a version in development for Nintendo's 32-bit handheld the Game Boy Advance? In 2002, Randy...
News Hang Iconic Gaming Moments On Your Wall With These Officially-Licenced 'Pixel Frames'
"Snapshots that perfectly convey your love for retro gaming"
There are some moments in gaming that are so memorable that they deserve to be celebrated in some meaningful way, and that's exactly what Pixel Frames is offering. The company produces officially-licenced shadow boxes that are "snapshots that perfectly convey your love for retro gaming"...
Random These All-In-One SNES And Famicom Consoles Are True Works Of Art
We'll take two!
We've seen our fair share of custom designs for retro consoles over the years, but we reckon this one takes the cake. Swedish audio-visual artist Love Hultén has created all-in-one devices for the Famicom system and the SNES, combining the genuine consoles with a 9" Sony Trinitron PVM-9042QM display monitor. The result is not only...
News "50 Years Of Text Games" Celebrates Interactive Fiction, Fully Funded On Kickstarter
For Zork dorks
If Zork means more to you than Fortnite ever will, if you know exactly which items to take with you in Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy in order to escape your about-to-be-bulldozed house, or if you have ever typed the words "SOUTH" and "HELP" into a white-on-black text box, then you may be interested in this book by writer and game...
News Glover Gets The Limited Run Games Treatment With A Surprise N64 Rerelease
And it's still not on Switch
You might remember earlier this year that N64 platformer Glover got a rerelease on Steam — but not on Switch oddly enough. And while that Switch port still hasn't been announced, retro game collectors can at least get a little bit excited for what's coming up for the white glove-starring game. Limited Run Games...
News Party On, Dudes! Two Bill & Ted Games Are Getting A Physical Bundle On Switch
Yes way!
No, this isn’t a bogus announcement. Two retro Bill & Ted games are getting a physical bundle on the Nintendo Switch courtesy of Limited Run Games. Aptly titled Bill & Ted's Excellent Retro Collection, the package contains two LJN titles – the 1991 NES game Bill & Ted's Excellent Video Game Adventure, and Bill & Ted's...
News Rendering Ranger: R2 Is Officially Making Its Way To Switch And SNES
1995 SHMUP was previously one of the rarest games in existence
Update - Tue 7th Jun, 2022 13:00 BST: Rendering Ranger: R2 has been announced for western release by Limited Run Games, officially ending its absurd scarcity since its initial Japan SNES launch in 1995. No release date has been set at the time of writing, however a physical edition of...
Round Up Every Physical Game From Limited Run's Summer Showcase Coming To Switch
There are even some 3DS, N64 and SNES releases
Limited Run Games earlier today aired its LRG3 Summer Showcase. As usual, there were a lot of Switch announcements. There were also some other Nintendo-related announcements for platforms like the 3DS, Nintendo 64 and Super Nintendo. We've included a full video recap of the show (above) if you would...
News 30 Years On, The Fan-Made 'Final Fight Ultimate' Is Set To Reignite The 16-bit Console War
Punching up
Final Fight is one of the definitive games of the side-scrolling beat 'em up genre, no doubt about it. Released in arcades in 1989, the game was ported to the SNES the following year, with multiple things missing such as Level 4, an entire character, and no two-player mode. Despite being something of a flawed conversion, the fact that...
Random The Powkiddy X51 Emulation Console Tries To Rope In Switch Fans
It looks like a Switch, but...
Powkiddy, a company known for producing retro gaming consoles, has introduced its latest effort: the Powkiddy X51. It looks pretty familiar, right? Yes, in designing the X51, Powkiddy has unashamedly tried to emulate (chortle!) the look and feel of a Nintendo Switch, right down to the neon red and blue casing. As...
"Don't expect this to come out any time soon"
Remember the absolutely stunning showcase of Super Mario 64 with ray tracing? Well, the same individual is now working on a new project that could evolve N64 emulation. Modder turned software developer Dario has just revealed 'RT64' (the path tracer behind the sm64rt project) is being transformed into a...
News Sega Has Considered Dreamcast & Saturn Mini But Is Worried About Extreme Costs
You can thank the pandemic
One of the highlights of the week was the announcement of the Mega Drive Mini 2 - Sega's next miniature console, loaded with 50 games from the Mega Drive and Mega CD libraries. It's launching this October in Japan and will include games like Sonic CD, Slipstream and Virtua Racing. As exciting as this news is, it hasn't s
Feature How The Quintessential Essence Of Pokémon Games Inspires Gen After Gen
Insight from Pokémon World Champions and Temtem’s Director
In 1998 my Canadian elementary school banned everything to do with Pokémon. The games, the trading cards, and discussions about the anime – all of it was off-limits as Pocket Monster fever swept through North America like a swarm of Rattata, distracting us from our in-class reading of...
May2022
Random The Power Glove Is An Inventive Way To Play Mario Kart Live: Home Circuit
Even more hands-on
The Power Glove wasn't great. We know it, you know it, everyone knows it. It's infamous for being one of the worst controllers ever. Yet that doesn't stop people from being fascinated with it and trying new things out with the peripheral. Further reading: Feature: Uncovering The Unlikely Story Of The World's Worst Controller In...
News 'Memory Limits' Showcases Amazing Art Created On The Game Boy
"The Game Boy becomes the medium for individual ideas, stories and visions"
The Game Boy was hugely influential in the game industry, playing its part in bringing video games into the mainstream. It's still very much loved despite its limitations, from its basic specifications that restricted the scope of its games, down to the modest screen. Those...
News Embracer Games Archive Is Striving To Preserve And Celebrate Gaming Culture
"We want to archive and save as much of the video games industry as possible"
The Embracer Group is a significant gaming company that is still somewhat under the radar in comparison to other major brands. Previously known as THQ Nordic and operating out of Sweden, it's become the parent organisation for a number of major gaming companies - familiar...
Rumour Datamine Reveals Six More Neo Geo Pocket Games Potentially Coming To Switch
Including two never-before-localised titles
Last week, we got the surprise Switch release of the Neo Geo Pocket Color's Biomotor Unitron — the system's first RPG. Biomotor Unitron joins the likes of Big Bang Pro Wrestling, SNK Gals' Fighters, and Samurai Shodown! 2 (among many others) on the system in representing the classic handheld console. And...
Soapbox Help, I Can't Stop Buying Japanese Games I Don't Understand And Will Never Play
Nintendo sixty-moarrr
Soapbox features enable our individual writers and contributors to voice their opinions on hot topics and random stuff they've got on their minds. Today, Gavin ponders why he's spending time and money importing Nintendo curios from the East that he's not even sure he'll play... It all started with Morita Shogi 64. If you're...
News SNES Platforming Shooter 'Jim Power: The Lost Dimension' Returns On Switch
With multiple physical releases
In another obscure retro rerelease, publisher QUByte Interactive and developer PIKO Interactive have announced the return of the SNES platformer Jim Power: The Lost Dimension in 3-D in the form of a brand new release — Jim Power: The Lost Dimension. Released in 1993 on the Super Nintendo, Jim Power is an action...
News Playable Build Of Cancelled N64 Game 'SimCopter 64' Discovered
History takes flight
In a huge discovery for video game history, a playable version of a long-lost cancelled N64 game has been found. SimCopter 64 was meant to be a port of the Maxis and EA title on PC and was last seen at E3 in — wait for it — 1997. We were made aware of this by Twitter user and gaming history preservationist @dangentemp, who...
Random Popular Flash Game 'IndestructoTank!' To Get A Physical Release On Game Boy
Digital, too!
With the death of Adobe Flash Player on 1st January 2021, many creators have gone to great lengths to preserve the projects they created over the years. If you were around at the peak of this era, then the name Newgrounds will be familiar to you, and I'm sure everyone has something they spent hours upon hours of mouse clicking and on...
News The Neo Geo Pocket Color's First RPG, Biomotor Unitron, Launches On Switch Tomorrow
Surprise!
In a surprise announcement, SNK has announced the next game in its Neo Geo Pocket Color Selection series, Biomotor Unitron. Released on the handheld back in 1999, this was the very first RPG for the system. The game mixes sci-fi elements with dungeon crawling. You control a robot through these dungeons — which are semi-random a selected...
News Valis: The Fantasm Soldier Collection II Launches On Switch This September
Japan only, for now...
Remember back in March when Edia announced it had plans to release a second collection of Valis titles on the Nintendo Switch? Well, it's now locked in a release date...at least for Japan, confirming this three-in-one classic collection will be released on 22nd September. This second collection, known officially as Valis: The...
News Rare Footage From Nintendo's 1976 16mm Film Arcade Game 'Sky Hawk' Emerges
A blast from the past
Nintendo's fascinating history continues to be unearthed by fans across the world. Just last year, 16mm film from Nintendo's Wild Gunman — originally a 1974 arcade cabinet before jumping onto the NES in the '80s — was discovered. 16mm film games use film reels and projectors to project photos and footage onto the screen...
Review Kirby 64: The Crystal Shards - Kirby's First Brush With 3D Is Still A Charmer
Kirby Sixty-phwoar
Like many of Nintendo's properties during the transition from the SNES to the N64, Kirby underwent a shift from a flat 2D sprite to a fully rendered polygon rendition of himself. Rather than taking Kirby down the route of Mario and Link, however, the pink mascot stuck closer to his origins — mechanically, Kirby 64: The Crystal...
News Ys And Trails Developer Plans To Release More Retro Titles On Switch
Update: Other Trails ports are being looked at
Update [Thu 19th May, 2022 10:00 BST] RPG Site has fully translated the Switch port questions from the Famitsu interview from yesterday. Kondo's answers clearly highlight that the company not only want to bring retro titles to the system, but also future titles. The interview focused on the upcoming The...
Random 2021 NES Game 'Slow Mole' Is Getting A Bizarre Claymation Movie
And there's a trailer
Last year didn't bring us the Switch 2, but it certainly brought us something very interesting and unexpected. 2021 saw the release of, not Breath of the Wild 2, but a brand new NES game called Slow Mole. Slow Mole is known for anything but slowness, as the game has garnered a reputation among the speedrunning community for...
News SEGA Launches New Streets Of Rage Merch In Europe
Streets of Range
While all the trendy kids talk about Streets of Rage 4 and (accurately) discuss how awesome it is, those of us that prefer the soft glow of nostalgia look back to the original. In truth it doesn't hold up as well as its outstanding sequel, but it's an iconic game among retro enthusiasts and some of us that had our young minds blown...
News This Important Piece Of Star Fox History Was Almost Thrown Away
I can't let you do that, Fox
Star Fox might not be one of Nintendo's biggest-selling franchises, but it certainly has a passionate following; the first SNES game was revolutionary in that it harnessed the Super FX chip to create a convincing 3D world, while subsequent titles both refined the format and took it in new directions. However, since...
Video We Take A Look At Limited Run Games' Brand New Store
Update: The full video is out now!
Update [Tue 17th May, 2022 20:00 BST] Well, the update came a lot sooner than we expected! Zion's full trip to Limited Run Games' physical game store — and it's here to stay. Featuring merchandise, cut-outs, playable games, and neon lighting, it's a glorious nostalgia trip. The video is a 26-minute love letter...
News Newly-Translated Article Reveals Sega And Nintendo's Worries Of A '90s Atari-Style Crash
“It’s almost like a return of the 1982 Atari Shock"
Many of us think of the '90s as the golden age of video games. The Super Nintendo and Sega Genesis / Mega Drive were brimming with a huge variety of games. But when Sony's PlayStation hit in 1995, it was an indication of another huge shake-up in the video game industry — though even then,...
Random Sorry GameCube, LeBron James Likes The Nintendo 64 More
The King has spoken
King James, otherwise known as the Los Angeles Lakers' player LeBron James, recently held a Q&A on Twitter, and unsurprisingly there were a number of video game questions thrown at the basketball superstar. One, in particular, that's already received quite a bit of attention on social media is a question from the technology...
News You Can Play Mario Kart 64 In Glorious HD Thanks To This Fan-Made Texture Pack
Yippee!
The Nintendo 64 fan scene has been pretty darn busy lately, with the Zelda: Ocarina of Time PC port finally launching — and getting a shed-load of fun and unusual mods — and even more games rumoured to be made available through reverse engineering. Next on the list, however, is a very smooth and shiny update to a pa
Random Indie Horror Dev Launches Kickstarter To Create A Game For Pokémon Mini
Pokémon Silver Falls
Hands up — who had a Pokémon Mini back in the day? The microconsole launched in 2001 in Japan and North America — right before the GameCube came out — and the following year in Europe. it came in three colours, had ten games released for it (only 4 made it to America, with an additional game coming to Europe), and is...
Random Portal 64 Demake Shows Portal Running On "Real N64 Hardware"
GLaDOS would be pleased
Valve's Portal: Companion Collection will see the release of Portal and Portal 2 on a Nintendo system for the first time ever, but have you ever wondered what the original 2007 game might have looked like if it got a release during the N64 era? Well, there's now a 'Portal 64' demake in the works. It's still in development,...
News Lawsuit Brought Against Game Grading Firm, WATA, Alleging Market Manipulation
Class-action also alleges false statements and false advertising
In August last year WATA generated plenty of headlines, as criticism started to mount over the boom of retro game prices amid allegations of wrongdoing from the game grading firm. Claims surfaced alleging that the company was artificially driving high prices, along with claims of...
Random Here's Why Wolfenstein 3D On SNES Replaced Dogs With Rats
"You can't shoot dogs!"
We love a good documentary here at Nintendo Life, and CREATORVC's upcoming film, First Person Shooter, looks like it will fill a big gap in our lives. Shooting for a Q4 2022 release, this 3+ hour documentary is all about the genre's rise. Ahead of its release later this year, CREATORVC has shared a six-minute snippet with IGN...
Review The King Of Fighters: The Ultimate History
Bitmap Books' latest epic packs a punch
Capcom's Street Fighter has had many rivals over the years, including the likes of Virtua Fighter, Mortal Kombat and Guilty Gear. However, one franchise stands out as the true competitor: SNK's King of Fighters. Since its inception in 1994, the series has offered what many fans consider to be the only...
News Alwa's Awakening Gets A NES Physical Release And Unique 'Digical' Version
Update: We unbox the NES version
Update: Retro-Bit has been kind enough to send us samples of Alwa's Awakening physical NES release and its 'Digical' version, so feast your eyes on them below: Original Story [Wed 15th Sep, 2021 16:30 BST]: Retro-Bit is producing a physical version of Elden Pixels' Alwa's Awakening and will be making the game...
News David Ward, Co-Founder Of UK Game Developer Ocean Software, Has Passed Away
A "legend of the UK games industry"
Co-founder of Ocean Software, David Ward, has sadly passed away. A titan of the UK games industry, Ward's Ocean Software was one of the biggest European game developers and publishers in the '80s and '90s. This news was revealed by Just Flight founder Andy Payne on Twitter, and there has been an outpouring of...
News After The Game Boy-Like GameShell, Clockwork Pi's Next Trick Is A Computer You Build Yourself
1983 called, and it wants its consumer tech back
Remember the Clockwork Pi GameShell? We covered this open source DIY handheld in 2018, mainly because it resembled a Game Boy and could run MAME, Game Boy Advance and NES titles. It raised $290,429 on Kickstarter and we really enjoyed tinkering around with it – so the news that
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