Retro - News
May2020
Feature How Nintendo And A Band Of Teenage High Score Obsessives Created The Idea Of The Pro Gamer
Investigating Nintendo's surprising role in the birth of esports
Esports is old. Its origins stretch back to the very first days of video games as a medium. Was competitive gaming born with the invention of Tennis for Two in 1958, the very first video game? Or in 1972 when Rolling Stone hosted the first Space War! competition in a university...
Poll Box Art Brawl #45 - Phalanx
Dueling banjo
And we're back with another edition of Box Art Brawl, your weekly opportunity to peruse covers of video games past and pick your favourite. Last week we checked out Super C, although Super C didn't actually win the vote. Nope, it was the European Probotectors who took the title with a small but significant (and surprising) margin over...
News Blimey, Donkey Kong Country 2 Looks Lovely In HD
The SNES classic gets a new lick of paint
Thankfully, fans of the Donkey Kong Country series have been treated rather well over the past few years, with Donkey Kong Country Returns and its sequel Tropical Freeze launching across all of Nintendo's latest systems. We can't sing the praises of Tropical Freeze enough - se
Rumour Buster No, Rare Didn't Almost Make Games For The PlayStation During The N64 Era
"Our belief was that we could make better games if we focused on one platform"
Back in the '90s, Rare was a real powerhouse developer for Nintendo platforms. As one of the earliest western studios to support the NES, it produced a string of titles and would later throw its weight behind the Game Boy and SNES – culminating in the groundbreaking...
News Fan Transforms Broken NES Into A Fully Functioning Switch Dock
Always remember to recycle!
It's never nice to see a games console finally bite the dust, never to play another game or take centre stage underneath the TV again, but some talented folk save the day by repurposing the poor little things for future use. Take the talented Joe Heaton, for example, who we've previously featured on the site for...
News Check Out This New And Improved Portable Nintendo 64
Headphone jack and built-in Expansion Pak included
A couple of months ago, we shared a video from YouTube user smackedsam that showed off a fully working, portable Nintendo 64 console design. We thought it was a pretty cool creation at the time, but this new take has taken things up a notch. Dubbed the 'Slipstream 2' by its creator, the console has...
Poll Box Art Brawl #44 - Super C / Probotector II
Return of the evil forces
Welcome all to Box Art Brawl, the weekly series where we scrutinise regional box art variants from around the globe and vote on the best. Last week we examined the European, North American and Japanese covers of Super Turrican. At the time of writing, the easy winner is Japan with 66% of the vote. However, both Europe and...
Quiz How Well Do You Know Classic '80s Arcade Games?
Have you got Pac-Man fever?
Pac-Man has now reached the ripe old age of 40 - yes, 40! - so we thought it was the perfect time to test your '80s arcade knowledge with a little quiz in honour of the pellet-muncher's birthday. There's nothing too obscure here. Even if you didn't frequent the arcades back in the day (or if you're too young to know what...
Random Recoil In Horror At The Tale Of The Troublesome QA Tester And The Soiled Rare T-Shirt
"Oh my god! There's s*** on my shirt! I can't believe it!"
Perfect Dark turned 20 recently, as you'll know if you read our exhaustive history of the game's creation. Our good friends over at Eurogamer have done a similar piece, speaking to the people who made this amazing game happen. One of those people is Steve Malpass, who also sha
"We could have dynamic responsive scores that react to the gameplay environments"
Former Rare composer David Wise is responsible for some of the best soundtracks ever heard in a video game, and for the longest time, he was the company's main resource when it came to creating music for its NES, SNES, Game Boy and N64 output. He's been speaking to US...
Video Castlevania's 16-Bit Entries Explored In Splash Wave's Latest Retrospective
Fangs for the memories
Konami certainly made an impression with the Castlevania games on NES, so it was a given that the beloved vampire-hunting series would make the leap to the 16-bit consoles that followed. If you'd like to learn a bit more about the series' 16-bit entries, we'd highly recommend checking out the new retrospective history video...
Reminder Rate Your Favourite Nintendo Switch Online NES Games
Help us rank the 53 NES games on Nintendo's online sub service
Just a quick reminder that there's still time to rate your favourite NES games from those available for Nintendo Switch Online. Only a few hours after this article went live last week, Nintendo announced new additions to the NES and SNES catalogue including Rygar for NES. Naturally,...
Random Classic Nintendo Games Sound Even Cooler When Played Live On Violin
Including sound effects!
Often, that wonderful feeling of nostalgia you get when loading up a game from your childhood comes from hearing the soundtrack or sound effects that used to blare out of your TV screen. From the iconic Super Mario Bros. theme to the Legend of Zelda's 'da da da daaaaa', there's bound to be a few sounds that instantly bring...
News Perfect Dark's Joanna Dark Was Based On Winona Ryder
"She had this great pixie haircut"
It’s been said in the past that Perfect Dark protagonist Joanna Dark was modelled on historical figure Joan of Arc, but we've been speaking to the guys behind the game and they've put us right on that score – and have revealed exactly who inspired the design of the famous secret agent. “I think that’s the...
Poll Box Art Brawl #43 - Super Turrican
Turrican't decide
It's time for another round of Box Art Brawl, your weekly opportunity to get uppity and opinionated over regional cover art that once adorned the packaging of video games around the globe. Last week the European cover of Pikmin 2 emerged victorious after scrapping with its brethren from Japan and the United States. Yes, the EU...
News Perfect Dark Was Supposed To Have Push Button Cheats, But They Accidentally Got Deleted
"I’m very sorry"
If you're old enough to remember the N64 classic GoldenEye 007, you might also recall that the game featured a bunch of push button cheat codes which could be entered to change the game and unlock all of the weapons. You might also be one of the many people who were upset that its spiritual sequel, Perfect Dark, lacked this...
Feature Perfect Dark Turns 20 - The Definitive Story Behind The N64 Hit That Outclassed James Bond
"We had a lot of ideas, and lots of clever people working out how to do them"
How do you follow GoldenEye 007? In the summer of 2000 – that's 20 years ago this month – Rare presented its answer: Perfect Dark, a sci-fi spy shooter centred around an alien conspiracy. It delivered a cool, competent heroine, a single-player campaign bursting with...
News Another Free Add-On Is Now Available For Classic Doom On Switch
Introducing Deathless
Earlier this year, Bethesda added free community-created add-ons (also known as WADs) to DOOM and DOOM II. It started off with the release of unofficial fifth DOOM episode SIGIL and now, even more, are on the way. In an update
News Action Shooter Radical Radial Joins Hamster's Arcade Archives Series
Out today
This week's Arcade Archives game is another Nichibutsu release. This time around it's the 1983 title, Radical Radial. It's an action shooter game where you control a tire-shaped vehicle and must make your way to the goal. Along the way, you'll have to speed through dangerous courses filled with aliens and enemy vehicles, while...
Feature The Game That Starred Mickey Mouse, Ghostbusters Or Garfield, Depending On Your Region
Navigating Kemco's Crazy Castle series
Three huge licences. One average game. Every weekend here at Nintendo Life we take a look at regional box art variants for retro video games and run a poll on which one is best. It's a fun, light-hearted exercise; really just an excuse to look at fantastic (and some not-so-fantastic) old-school cover art,...
Poll Box Art Brawl #42 - Pikmin 2
Pik one
Welcome back to Box Art Brawl, the weekly bout where regional box art variants battle for supremacy and the adoration of you lovely people. Last week we watched The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask celebrate its 20th anniversary by giving itself a sou
News Nintendo Cracks Down On The Super Mario 64 PC Port
Download links and YouTube videos are being targeted
Nintendo's legal eagles have reportedly begun targeting sites hosting compiled versions of the Super Mario 64 PC port which was made available on the internet last week. According to a follow-up story by Torrent Freak, after the initial VGC report, links to download the exec
News Hamster's Latest Retro Offering For Switch Is The Horizontal Shooter Magmax
Another blast from the past
This week's Arcade Archives release is the 1985 horizontal shooter, Magmax, by Nichibutsu. Here's a bit about this classic re-release, directly from Hamster's PR: The player can power up by combining with the parts falling on the stage in order to defeat the Strange Mechanism Babylon. With 4 different stages,...
News Clubhouse Games: 51 Worldwide Classics Pays Tribute To Golf On The NES
Fancy a round?
Just the other day, we heard how Clubhouse Games: 51 Worldwide Classics would include all of our favourite Mario characters as card decks, and now more Nintendo references have been discovered within this upcoming release. The latest one is tied to the golf game, which allows you to take a break from the tables and have a swing. An...
Feature Nintendo Console Codenames And Product Codes
Do you know your DMGs from your DOLs?
If you happen to have any official Nintendo console or peripheral to hand, turn it over and hidden in the legalese and small print on the underside you'll find a code which typically begins with three letters. Flip over your Switch, for example, and you'll find the code HAC-001, with an extra (-01) if you've got...
News Mario Bros. World Record Holders Achieve Unthinkable Score On The Game's Hardest Setting
A doubles run to end all doubles runs
Some friends are passing the time in isolation with the occasional long-distance call, some are sending the odd gift or two to each other through the mail, and some are absolutely obliterating the competition by setting unthinkable scores in arcade classic, Mario Bros.. Steven Kleisath and Stephen Boyer of...
News N64 Star Wars Title Shadows Of The Empire Is Getting A Soundtrack Release
On CD and vinyl
When the Nintendo 64 launched back in the '90s, it arrived with the likes of Super Mario 64 and Pilotwings 64 in tow – as well as LucasArts' Star Wars: Shadows of the Empire. This 3D action title was part of a multimedia campaign that also covered books, comics and toys, and bridged the gap between The Empire Strikes Back and...
News The 64Mate - A New All-In-One N64 Storage Add-On Goes Live On Kickstarter
"Fund your own today"
Do you remember the 64Mate? It's an Australian-based project that's described as a "new add-on” for your Nintendo 64, sits neatly under your console, and can be used to house video upscalers, peripherals, and game cartridges. The Kickstarter campaign has now officially gone live, and to reach its end goal, it requires...
News Super Mario 64 PC Port Shows The Game Running At 4K And With Ultra Widescreen Support
The latest fan project goes big
Plenty of classic games have found themselves in the hands of modders and hackers over the years, as they try to push anything and everything to the limit or uncover new secrets, but few seem to have been played about with quite as much as Super Mario 64. The latest fan-made project to catch folks' attention is this...
Feature Quarter Arcades Is Bringing Coin-Op History Home - And It Wants To Work With Nintendo Next
"A 1/4 scale Donkey Kong would look fantastic!"
Arcades may be dying out, but they're such a significant part of gaming history that interest in them remains high. There are plenty of people out there old enough to remember the thrill of visiting the local amusement centre and popping spare change into their favourite cabinet, which is why we've...
News Sega's Blast Processing? We Did It On The SNES First, Says Former Sculptured Software Dev
"That was before Sega adopted the slogan"
During the epic console war of the early '90s, Sega and Nintendo used every weapon in their arsenal to gain the upper hand on each other. Any feature or technique that was seen as an advantage was quickly turned into a marketing point, and when Sonic the Hedgehog arrived on the scene, Sega was quick to focus...
Feature Star Wars Games - Every Star Wars Game On Nintendo Systems Ranked
We sort the padawans from the poodoo
May the 4th is with us once again, which means it's Star Wars Day! Last year Star Wars Episode IX: The Rise of Skywalker 'ended' Star Wars as we've known it for over 40 years, tying a bow on the cinematic tales of the Skywalker clan and the nine-film series which began way back in 1977. That film is now arriving...
Poll Box Art Brawl #41 - The Legend Of Zelda: Majora's Mask
Put on a happy face
Welcome to the 41st edition of Box Art Brawl, the weekly vote to find the best of a bunch of regional box art variants from video gaming's past. Last week we had a blast from the past with Mega Man returning to the brawl. Perhaps as expected, the infamously poor North American cover finished in last place, although the European...
News Nintendo's 1984 Release VS. Wrecking Crew Joins The Arcade Archives This Week
Level entire buildings as Mario and Luigi
The CERO rating board might be suspended, but Hamster doesn't appear to be showing any signs of slowing down on its weekly retro releases. This week's game might interest more than usual, as it's a Nintendo release. Presenting the 1984 arcade title, VS. Wrecking Crew. If you haven't played the game itself,...
April2020
News Classic Streets Of Rage Soundtracks Are Being Rereleased On Cassette And CD
Remember cassettes?
If today's release of Streets of Rage 4 on Switch has you feeling all nostalgic for earlier games in the series, you might want to take a nosey at these tempting soundtrack offerings. Wayô Records is set to rerelease the classic Mega Drive soundtracks to both Streets of Rage and Streets of Rage 2 composed by Yuzo Koshiro...
News Polymega Beta Units Are Out In The Wild, And Things Are Looking Pretty Impressive
Saturn emulation is looking solid
All-in-one retro system Polymega has taken its sweet time to get to market, but the system is expected to launch in July this year, so the wait is almost over. To ensure maximum compatibility the company behind the console announced a beta program a short time ago, giving those who had already pre-ordered the...
Random Someone's Made A Game Boy Game That Can Control Their Air Conditioning
And it doesn't sound easy to do
No matter how many Game Boy games you have knocking around at home, we bet you don't have any quite like this one. After receiving a Game Boy Color as a gift, Singapore-based developer JinGen Lim decided to make use of the system in a pretty unexpected way. You see, in addition to the Color's new processing speeds...
Video Secret Of Mana Fan Creates Stunning 2D Animation Tribute
Straight outta the '90s
If you've been following the Mana series ever since Secret of Mana came to the SNES in the early '90s, you might want to prepare yourself for a wonderfully nostalgic trip down memory lane. YouTube user Benoit Tranchet has created a lovely 2D animation based on the classic RPG, releasing it on the platform just as the series'...
Poll Box Art Brawl #40 - Mega Man
It's not like 'Phil Megaman'
Are we back? We're back. Yes, it's time for another edition of Box Art Brawl, the weekly public vote where you decide the best (or 'least bad') of three regional box art variants. Last week we watched cult classic Wetrix take itself to task. Following a wet and wild wrestling match, the Japanese cover emerged soaked but...
News Hamster Is Adding A Handful Of Data East Classics To The Arcade Archives
More retro goodness
In recent weeks, Hamster Corporation has experienced some minor setbacks due to the suspension of the CERO (Computer Entertainment Rating Agency) in Japan. Apart from a reshuffle in its development schedule, it appears to be business as usual for the company. In the coming months, it will be adding a handful of Data East...
News Sega Shiro Needs To Stop Sega Going Bankrupt In This New Video
"Sega Shiro, is that a Switch?"
Sega is currently celebrating its 60th anniversary and is having a whale of a time making off the wall videos to celebrate Hiroshi Fujioka, an actor who played the role of Sega Saturn's mascot back in the day. In the video above we see his son Maito Fujioka reprise the role of the biggest Sega fan to grace the school...
News The Japan Retro Game Association Offers Super Famicoms To Avoid Lockdown Boredom
Donkey Kong Country saves the day
Despite all the difficulties presented by the COVID-19 pandemic, the situation has also brought out some amazing acts of human kindness. Now we can add the Japan Retro Game Association to our list of lovely people, as they have offered to loan out 100 slightly yellowing Super Famicom consoles to Japanese residents...
News Terraonion Is Releasing An Optical Disc Emulator For The Sega Saturn And Dreamcast
Bringing systems back from the dead
We all live with the knowledge that everything put together eventually falls apart, but in the case of consoles based around optical media, the issue is pretty grave. Optical drives are prone to all kinds of problems – especially when they're over 20 years old – and as a result, many of the CD-based systems...
News Developer Creates New SNES Game In Just 10 Hours
And you can play it for free
It's not often you hear about developers working on new SNES games these days, and it's even rarer to hear about one that was fully created in just ten hours. 'Keeping SNES Alive' is a brand new game from developer Dr. Ludos, who recently released another game for the SNES called Yo-Yo Shuriken - which came on a...
News Piko Interactive Secures The Rights To ODT: Escape Or Die Trying's Scrapped N64 Version
Will we get a release 20 years later?
Publisher Piko Interactive has revealed that it has acquired the rights to O.D.T. (or O.D.T.: Escape... Or Die Trying as it's known in North America). Interestingly, the deal also includes the rights to the scrapped Nintendo 64 version. Originally published by Psygnosis, O.D.T. is an action-adventure game that...
News Sega Open To Reviving Sonic's 1993 Arcade Game, But Needs Your Support
Depends on the success of existing Sega Ages Sonic titles
Back in 1993, when arcade gaming still played a significant role within the video game industry, Sega AM3 released a title called SegaSonic the Hedgehog. The platformer-action game got compared to Marble Madness and was the first time players were introduced to Mighty the Armadillo and Ray...
Feature How Nintendo Killed The Best Version Of Tetris
"Heartbroken is a good summary"
Ed Logg knew a thing or two about lines. He’d co-created Asteroids at Atari, a game where players piloted a ship and blasted the eponymous space rocks into smaller and smaller bits. Released in 1979, Asteroids was in black and white, but the animation was slick and fluid thanks to vector graphics, a technique that...
Poll Box Art Brawl #39 - Wetrix
Wet weekend
Welcome one and all to the 39th edition of Box Art Brawl, a weekly bout between box art variants from around the world where you vote for the victor... Last week Mario threw one of his dos on the N64 with Mario Party 2, a swinging shindig from before the formula palled a bit. Looking back we can say with certainty that Japan's cover was...
News M2 Is Making A Stupidly Expensive Shooter More Affordable On Home Consoles
Along with some other amazing Toaplan titles
A while back, emulation expert M2 announced that it had acquired the rights to bring a bunch of classic Toaplan shooters to home consoles. Toaplan – famous for hits such as Hellfire, Zero Wing and Snow Bros. – folded in the mid-'90s but would spawn Cave and Raizing, as well as other shooter companies...
News The Voice Actor Of Leon Kennedy In Resident Evil 2 Has Passed Away
RIP, Paul Haddad
The Resident Evil series has resurfaced in recent years – with Capcom remaking and re-releasing a number of classic entries. There have even been rumours about more remakes, and a completely new game, in recent weeks. With this in mind, it's incredibly sad to hear P
Random Rockstar San Diego Founder Reveals What It's Like To Be Rejected By Miyamoto
"My balls got frozen"
In a lengthy but insightful interview with Polygon recently, Rockstar San Diego founder Diego Angel spoke about the time Nintendo's Shigeru Miyamoto came to visit his studio (then known as Angel Studios) about a Nintendo 64 racing title called Buggy Boogie. This project was part of the "Dream Team" - 10 third-party studios who...
Random Nintendo's Hotline Guided Super Metroid Players With This Forbidden Map
Featuring an extra room
Before we had the internet at our fingertips, players had to call up companies and ask for some assistance when they got stuck in a video game. One Nintendo game a lot of people found a little confusing at times was the 1994 title, Super Metroid. Back in the day of the Nintendo Power hotline, gameplay counselors were using a...
Feature Now Is A Great Time To Support Your Local Retro Computer Museum
Preserve And Protect
In 2020, the majority of our interactions with video games is virtual – games are easily accessible and available online 24/7. However, there are plenty of people who have fond memories of the more physical side of games, whether that be browsing racks in dedicated video game shops, visiting sensory-overload arcades or getting...
News Super-Rare And Supersized Pre-Nintendo Game & Watch Goes Up For Auction
Bidding has begun
An ultra-rare Game & Watch build, actually dating back to before Nintendo had its branding involved with the hardware, has been put up for auction. While Nintendo and the Game & Watch series of handhelds are practically synonymous these days, the earliest Game & Watch machines were built by North American toy company,...
Hardware Review Evercade - Can A 100% Physical Media Console Really Work In 2020?
A throwback to the good old days of the Game Boy
A digital future for gaming is all but assured, as much as we fight against it tooth and nail. Just as movies and music have embraced digital distribution, gaming is slowly but surely following suit – which is what makes a product like Blaze's Evercade so interesting. This new handheld system lacks...
News The Voice Behind Star Fox 64's Most Famous Line Has Died From Coronavirus
RIP, Rick May
The man who provided the voice for Peppy Hare and Andross in Star Fox 64 has passed away at the age of 79 due to the coronavirus, it has been revealed. Rick May – who uttered the immortal "do a barrel roll" line in the classic N64 game – suffered from a stroke in February of this year and was moved to a nursing home in order to...
Poll Box Art Brawl #38 - Mario Party 2
Mario parties
Hello everyone, and welcome to another edition of Box Art Brawl, the weekly vote to find the best of three regional retro game box art variations. Last week we ran away from the headliner in Resident Evil 3: Nemesis. For the first time ever in this series the votes resulted in a dead heat between North America and Japan, both tied...
Random "One-Line Code Fix" Resolves Super Mario 64 Smoke Bug
A long time coming
An apparent "one-line code fix" for Super Mario 64 has supposedly fixed a visual bug in Mario's first 3D outing. The smoke Mario emits when he makes contact with lava or anything else hot has been replaced with a "much better looking" particle that's reportedly been within the game all along, according to Polygon. All it took was...
Poll Box Art Brawl #37 - Resident Evil 3: Nemesis
Nemmy gonna get ya
Welcome once again to Box Art Brawl, the weekly poll which places three regional box art variants before the eyes of you lovely people and awaits your "yay"s and "nay"s. Last week we took to the streets with Axel, Blaze, Zan and Sammy (and Roo) in Streets of Rage 3. We looked at three very different covers, but Japan emerged from...
News SNK Gals Fighters Gets Rated For The Nintendo Switch In South Korea
A Neo Geo Pocket Color revival
The Neo Geo Pocket Color exclusive 'SNK Gals' Fighters' has been rated for the Nintendo Switch in South Korea and officially confirmed by the Korean Game Rating and Administration Committee. The game was first released in the year 2000 and is a one-on-one fighting game with a 2D chibi art style. The all-female SNK...
Random Modder Guts A Nintendo GameCube And Turns It Into A Modern Gaming PC
The power button and controllers still work
We're used to seeing console and PC mods but this design is a little different. The YouTube channel Tech by Matt decided to gut a Nintendo GameCube and turn it into a fully-functioning gaming PC. While not everyone will agree with this decision, the system – to be fair – is described as a broken one...
News Taito's 1983 Western Shooter The Tin Star Is This Week's Arcade Archives Release
Take out a gang of thugs as the town sheriff
Hamster's retro release this week is The Tin Star. It's an old western-themed shooting originally released by Taito in arcades in 1983. You take control of the town sheriff who must take out a gang of thugs. Here is a description from the PR: Skillfully utilize features in the main stages, such as...
March2020
News Modder Shrinks The N64 Down To The Size Of A Game Boy Advance SP
And it plays original carts, too
Portable N64 mods – where the console's internals are placed in a handheld shell complete with an LCD screen and battery so you can play Super Mario 64 on the road – have been around for years, but this latest effort has to rank as one of the most impressive yet. GmanModz has taken the guts of the N64 and placed...
Poll Box Art Brawl #36 - Streets Of Rage 3
A Bare Knuckle sandwich
Bienvenido a Box Art Brawl, our weekly look back at the same game's retro box art from around the world with a cheeky vote attached. To coincide with the release of Animal Crossing: New Horizons we took a look at the first game in the series last week. Despite the North American and European variants being very similar, the...
Hardware Review PC Engine Mini - Still An Acquired Taste, Even After 30 Years
And we wouldn't have it any other way
Konami – which is now the custodian of the PC Engine brand following its purchase of Hudson Soft in 2011 – is perhaps a little late to the party with its take on the ‘micro-console’ concept that kicked off with the Nintendo Classic Edition a few years back. Since then, we’ve seen SNK, Sony and Sega a
News Falcon Punch Is A New Nintendo-Focused Print Magazine, And It Sounds Amazing
Packs a punch
Former Super Play illustrator and current Rare staffer Wil Overton has announced on Twitter than he's part of a team which is creating that most uncommon of beasts: a Nintendo-centric print magazine. The excellently-named 'Falcon Punch' will boast Overton's trademark anime-style artwork and will aim to cover features and reviews...
News Final Fight’s Iconic Arcade Artwork Was Inspired By Dragon Quest
Which in turn was inspired by Dungeons & Dragons
Legendary Capcom artist Akira “Akiman” Yasuda – famous for illustrating games such as Street Fighter II, Captain Commando, Power Stone and many, many more – has revealed the unlikely inspiration for one of his most iconic pieces of artwork. The arcade poster for Capcom’s Final Fight –...
Poll Box Art Brawl #35 - Animal Crossing
Population: indoors
Welcome to Box Art Brawl, the weekly perusal of regional retro box art variants that ends with a vote on the best of the bunch. Last week Perfect Dark for the Nintendo 64 battled itself in round #34 and, quite frankly, we thought Japan's moody red and black cover would absolutely destroy the competition, as lovely as they are...
Video Magician's Quest - The Animal Crossing Clone You've Probably Never Heard Of
Harry Potter meets Animal Crossing?
If you’ve played an Animal Crossing game, we bet you’d probably agree that there’s nothing else out there truly like it. From the way you can interact with the animal villagers to the way the game syncs up to the internal clock in your system to make the wild world that much more immersive, it’s truly a...
Winning the living room is no easy feat
We've been following the progress of the Intellivision Amico for some time now, and it's certainly shaping up to be an interesting venture; with names like Dave Perry and Tommy Tallarico involved – as well as the allure of that classic Intellivision branding – we can't help but wish the project the best of...
Poll Box Art Brawl #34 - Perfect Dark
Yeah, we know it's Japan
Welcome back to Box Art Brawl, the weekly vote where you decide which retro regional box art variant wins in the beauty stakes according to sophisticated modern tastes. Oh yes. Last week Castlevania for the N64 entered the ring in a third appearance for the series and one of the closest fought brawls to date. In the end...
News This Portable Nintendo 64 Is The Stuff Of Dreams
Use your real cartridges and memory cards
Ever wondered what it'd be like to take your Nintendo 64 games on the go? Well, with this new custom console, you can do exactly that. YouTube user smackedsam has shared a video showing off his latest design, a portable N64 console that can play all of your original cartridges. The body was 3D printed and...
Poll Box Art Brawl #33 - Castlevania (Nintendo 64)
Got its Reinhardt in the right place
Welcome back to Box Art Brawl, the weekly contest where retro video game box art variants duke it out for your approval. Last week we broke the 'rules' and featured a non-Nintendo platform example in the spiky blue form of Sonic the Hedgehog for the SEGA Mega Drive / Genesis. The hedgehog's first game cover is...
News The Winner Of The Nintendo PlayStation Isn't Oculus VR Founder Palmer Luckey After All
"I'm looking to not have this machine just buried in a closet somewhere"
As you might have heard, earlier this week the elusive Nintendo PlayStation was sold for $360,000 USD. A tad underwhelming after the owner previously knocked back a $1.2 million offer. Who ended up buying it, though? While it was believed to be Oculus VR founder Palmer Luckey,...
News Square Enix's Yoshinori Kitase Would Like To Remake Final Fantasy V
Reviving the medieval-fantasy RPG
Next month is a busy period for Square Enix, with not one but two remakes coming out. This has got many fans of the company wondering what else could be remade in the future. While Square Enix hasn't said anything official itself, during a recent interview with Game Reactor, veteran producer Yoshinori Kitase –...
News Nintendo PlayStation Sells For Significantly Less Than Was Previously Offered
Update: Auction ends well below $1.2 million
Update: The console has sold for $360,000, including the buyer's premium. That means the $1.2 million previously offered by a private buyer would have made much more sense. You live and learn, clearly. Only one bid was made, wh
News New Documentary Uncovers The Amazing Story Of EarthBound Beginnings
A story 25 years in the making
The Mother series – better known as EarthBound in the west – is one of those franchises that benefits from a massive amount of attention from the Nintendo fanbase, despite the fact that the company has done relatively little to encourage such devotion over the years. Sure, Mother 2 was localised as EarthBound on...
News P.O.W. Prisoners Of War Is This Week's Arcade Archives Release On Switch
"Experience an intense jailbreak"
Hamster's Arcade Archives release on the Nintendo Switch eShop this week is P.O.W. Prisoners of War. It's a side-scrolling action beat 'em up by SNK that was originally released in arcades in 1988. It followed with a home console release on the NES a year later. This standalone Switch version will be available on...
Feature NES Creator Masayuki Uemura On Building The Console That Made Nintendo A Household Name
"Back then, we didn’t know if it was going to be popular or not"
There's no denying that the NES – or Famicom as it was known in its native Japan – is one of the most important pieces of video game hardware ever made. Not only did it turn Nintendo from an outsider player to industry leader, it laid down the foundations of an industry which...
News "Why Make It Mini?" NES Creator Says People Would Still Buy A Regular System Today
Would you?
For those who weren't alive during the era of Nintendo's iconic NES (or Famicom as it was known in Japan), the relatively recent release of the NES Classic Edition has provided perhaps the most authentic way to experience the console ever since. The miniature system looks and feels just like the real thing - although the console itself...
Poll Box Art Brawl #32 - Sonic The Hedgehog
What Nintendon't
Welcome to Box Art Brawl, the weekly battle between box art variants to find out which lucky region got the best artwork with their retro games. Ready for a change of pace this week? That's right, we're getting an attitude, sticking it to the man and throwing out the rule book that's governed the previous thirty-one brawls. Yes,...
February2020
News NES Creator Reveals The "Shocking" Story Behind That Infamous Flap
Why the Famicom lost a microphone and gained a hinge when it went west
It’s well known that when the Famicom was redesigned as the NES for the American market, Nintendo wanted to make it resemble a video recorder rather than a games console – but the man behind the NES has revealed there is another reason why the American version of the console...
News Evercade Lineup Grows Thanks To "Modern Retro" Titles Xeno Crisis And Tanglewood
The 12th cart announced so far
We've been following the progress of the Evercade with interest over the past year, and today the news has broken that the 12th confirmed cart for the system will be a double pack which includes Xeno Crisis and Tanglewood, two modern titles designed with Sega's classic Mega Drive hardware in mind. Xeno Crisis, as you...
News The Creator Of The World's Most Famous Cheat Code Has Died
The hack that became part of video game legend
Cheat codes aren't much of a 'thing' these days, but back in the '80s and '90s, they were a big deal. These little hidden hacks were used by developers to test portions of the game but often made their way into the final code by accident or design. In the case of the famous 'Konami code' – Up, Up,...
News Nintendo Customer Support Goes Above And Beyond For 95-Year-Old Grandma's Busted Game Boy
A heartwarming tale
A story has surfaced online over the past few days telling the story of a 95-year-old grandmother in Japan who received a pretty heartwarming response from Nintendo's customer support team. The grandmother's daughter, seventy-year-old Kuniko Tsusaka, has shared the story in a recent print edition of Japanese newspaper, Asahi...
News Go Behind The Scenes Of GoldenEye 007 With This Upcoming Documentary
"I remember saying to the team, it's all downhill from here"
GoldenEye 007 is without a doubt one of the most influential video games of all time. While it certainly wasn't the first FPS title to find mainstream success – we'd already seen DOOM by the time it arrived – it popularised the genre on consoles and added layers of depth, such as...
Poll Box Art Brawl #31 - Ghosts 'n Goblins
Malarkey about goblins, spooks, and demons
Welcome one and all to Box Art Brawl, the ongoing series where we dig up old game box art, compare regional variants and vote for the best before flinging them back where they came from. Last week Quest 64 took on its counterparts across the globe in a bout which saw the European variant triumph over its...
News Arcade Archives VS. Mahjong Is Your Next Retro Switch Fix From Hamster
Launching tomorrow!
Hamster's latest retro release on Switch has been revealed, and this time we're being treated to 1984 arcade title, VS. MAH-JONG. The game will join the Switch's 'Arcade Archives' series, where players can enjoy classic arcade titles with modernised features like adjustable game settings and leaderboards. Here's the official...
News Rare Developer Elaborates On Conker's 'Tonal Shift' From Twelve Tales To Bad Fur Day
From the mouth of The Great Mighty Poo himself
As many Nintendo fans from the N64 era already know, the foul-mouthed and filthy Conker's Bad Fur Day began life as a cutesy platformer before changing lanes and becoming an over-18-only affair full of innuendo, naughty words and wee. Plenty of titbits related the game have come to light over the years...
Review Pop'n TwinBee - Konami's Colourful 16-Bit Shmup Shines With Couple Mode Co-op
Colour me glad
The TwinBee series enjoyed relative success in Japan throughout the late ‘80s and early ‘90s. Pop’n Twinbee was the sixth game in the series, and the last proper shoot ‘em up entry before Konami took it in a different direction with things like spin-off platformer Rainbow Bell Adventures. Because it was never released in...
News Battle Axe, A Retro-Inspired Arcade Adventure, Passes Its Switch Kickstarter Goal
Update: Over £45,600 raised so far with 9 days remaining
Update: Battle Axe is officially Switch-bound as the Kickstarter campaign has reached that particular stretch goal. It has raised over £45,600 at the time of writing. 9 days of funding time remain. Original Story [Wed 29th Jan, 2020 13:00 GMT]: Yesterday we saw a rather tasty looking...
News Get Game Boy Classic Zelda: Link's Awakening DX For Less Than £3 With My Nintendo (Europe)
Just £2.69 / 2.99€
If you enjoyed the recent The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening remake on Switch and wanted to get a taste of the original material, the European My Nintendo rewards scheme currently has the perfect deal for you. Right now, you can go ahead and download The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening DX on 3DS for just £2.69 / 2.99€...
News The Man Behind The NES And SNES Is Holding A UK Talk Next Week
Masayuki Uemura will discuss his career with Nintendo R&D2
Masayuki Uemura – the legend behind such iconic Nintendo hardware as the NES / Famicom, SNES / Super Famicom and Zapper and one of the most important people in the history of the Kyoto company – will be in the UK next week to hold an exclusive talk about his career. Taking place on...
Poll Box Art Brawl #30 - Quest 64 / Holy Magic Century
Holy magic century, Batman!
Bienvenido, benvenuta, أهلا بك, bienvenue, willkommen, 欢迎, bem-vinda, ようこそ, and welcome to Box Art Brawl, the series where you vote on the best box art from regional variants of the same game. Last week we watched ISS 64 as it engaged in a rare three-way football match. After a tense 90 minutes Europe...
Book Review Sega Arcade: Pop-Up History - A Gloriously Decadent Tribute To A Golden Age
Taikan your breath away
To anyone who didn't experience them firsthand, it's hard to accurately convey the mesmerising power of amusement arcades in the '80s and '90s. A furious storm of light, sound and smell (the latter not always pleasant, we should add), your typical arcade was dominated by flashing screens and packed, jostling bodies. This was...
News The Nintendo PlayStation Is Now Up For Auction
Update: And it's sold!
Update: The listing has now ended, with the system selling for $360,000.00. Original Article: The famous Nintendo PlayStation prototype has now been put up for auction, as promised towards the end of last year. At the time of writing, the current bid stands at $31,000. You can view the listing for yourself
Mario Memories Playing Super Mario Bros. 3 In The Garden
Darren recalls a stolen moment in his back garden with Mario
Today is the 30th anniversary of the US release of Super Mario Bros. 3 for the NES! That's right, boomers - you're getting old. In honour of the occasion we're republishing this article originally posted as part of the 30th anniversary celebrations for the iconic Mario franchise as a...
Feature 10 Nintendo Games We'd Love To See Finally Come To The West
Nintendo games that never officially left Japan
These days there are very few first-party or Nintendo-published titles that don't get an international release, but back in the day it was common for games to remain in their Japanese homeland for months or even years, if they ever came overseas at all. No, we're not just talking about the countless...
Random Two '80s Icons Combine In This Custom-Made Megatron NES Zapper
"Do you have what it takes to kill that damn dog?"
If you're a child of the '80s, then chances are you grew up with the Nintendo Entertainment System and Transformers. The two products were arguably at their height during the same period, so it's only natural that some resourceful fan has decided to fuse the two together. Simon Smith is that fan,...
Ninterview How Two GamesMaster Fans Are Paying Tribute To TV's Best Video Game Show
Tune into "Under Consoletation"
These days, you need only turn on your phone or open up a laptop to gain access to video game news, reviews and footage, but back in the pre-internet early '90s, you either had magazines or GamesMaster. For those of you outside the UK, that name might not mean anything, but trust us, it was amazing. GamesMaster was a...
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