Retro - News
April2020
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...
Poll Box Art Brawl #29 - International Superstar Soccer 64
Fresh blood is coming in
Welcome back to Box Art Brawl, the series where we throw a rosette and a bunch of regional box art variants into a pit and see which one emerges victorious with the bloodied prize pinned to its chest. Last week we watched as Mario Bros. battled for your amusement and pleasure. In a shocking turn of events, the sneaky...
Random Reggie Admits He "Did Not Own A GameCube" When He Applied For A Job At Nintendo
But he did have a PS2 and Xbox
We know the former Nintendo of America president Reggie Fils-Aimé was a big fan of Super Mario, The Legend of Zelda and the Metroid series long before he took on the role, but he wasn't exactly the ultimate collector. Despite revealing he had "over 80 games" for
Feature Remember When Atari Turned Down Nintendo And Sega?
How different things could have been
When you think of the key names in the history of video games hardware, a few notable monikers spring to mind. Nintendo is obviously one of them; the Japanese veteran has been a major part of the industry since the '80s, and has maintained a position of importance and influence despite numerous challenges from...
Poll Box Art Brawl #28 - Mario Bros.
Super! Hang on...
Welcome back, you beautiful people, to another edition of Box Art Brawl, the series where regional box art variants get subjected to public scrutiny and ranked according to their beauty by you lovely lot. Last week we had a true classic in the form of The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time, which unsheathed its Master Swords and did...
January2020
News Tecmo Bowl Brings American Football To Hamster's Arcade Archives Series This Week
More retro goodness
This week sees the release of the retro sports title Tecmo Bowl on the Nintendo Switch eShop. As usual, it supports 1-2 players and will set you back $7.99 / £6.29. Here's the rundown: "TECMO BOWL" is an American football game released by TECMO in 1987. Experience matches as a player of either the WILDCATS or BULLDOGS...
News The 64Mate Steps Up Its Game With 64DD Compatibility And Tower Stacking
Watch out, Sega
Remember the 64Mate? It's an all-in-one Nintendo 64 storage add-on that was announced last December for Kickstarter. If you missed our original post, it's basically a compartment that can be attached to the underside of the console. In an update on Twitter, the creators have announced the 64Mate is "stepping up" its game with 64DD...
Feature The Most Expensive Retro Games For Nintendo Systems
12 rare games to keep an eye out for
Make no mistake, we've got endless love for chunky plastic cartridges and proper printed manuals (remember those?), but the convenience of digital games is hard to deny and over the last decade or so digital distribution has taken off to the point where often physical versions aren't even an option these days...
Random Super Mario 64's Shifting Sand Land Becomes A Dungeon In This Zelda: Ocarina Of Time Mod
The ultimate crossover?
The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time and Super Mario 64 are considered to be some of the greatest games of all time. To this day, there are still many people enjoying them on a regular basis. There's also a community dedicated to modding and speed-running these classic N64 titles. One individual known as Kaze Emanuar...
Random This Mod Turns The Virtual Boy Into A Proper Console You Can Play On Your Television
Easier on the eyes
The Virtual Boy wasn't exactly Nintendo's finest hour. Despite this, the device was arguably ahead of its time and over the years has developed a cult following. In 2018, for example, an indie developer released a Virtual Boy emulator for the Oculus Rift headset - allowing users to play this short-lived generation of Nintendo...
Talking Point How Much Is Your Video Game Collection Really Worth To You?
Sentimental value rarely equals hard currency
Chibi-Robo earns his keep. It's happened to everyone at one time or another. Whether due to changing life circumstances or sheer curiosity, most of us will have looked at our video game collection and wondered how much hard cash we could get for it. We've interviewed serious collectors in the past and...
Book Review Japansoft: An Oral History - A True Treasure You Need To Read
Celebrating the unsung heroes with this exceptional book
A few years ago, British journalist and author John Szczepaniak launched a Kickstarter campaign with a grand vision – to document the memories of some of Japan's most influential yet underappreciated games developers. The result was an extensive three-volume series (and accompanying
Poll Box Art Brawl #27 - The Legend Of Zelda: Ocarina Of Time
Hey, listen! *splat*
And here we are once more for another edition of Box Art Brawl, the weekly battle between regional variants of retro game box covers to find out which one you think deserves gold medal in the looks department. Last week Super NES classic Castlevania: Dracula X bared its teeth and got down to bloody battle until the Japanese...
Feature Hyperkin Explains Why Its Next Console Is Bringing The Game Boy To Your Living Room
Forget those "streetlight-lit car rides home"
Hyperkin has been one of the biggest names in 'new' retro products for quite some time now, thanks to products like the RetroN 5 and Supa Boy. The company is back with a new device – the RetroN Jr. – which plays the ent
News You Could Get Your Hands On A Polymega Early Thanks To Its Upcoming Beta Test
Early (retro) access
All-in-one retro console Polymega is due to launch this year, and the company behind it has just announced a beta test program which will give a lucky number of applications early access to the hardware. If you've already placed your preorder and you apply via the website before 5PM PST on January 31st, you could be selected to...
Anniversary Super Smash Bros. Turns 21 Today
And look how far it's come!
On 21st January 1999, the original Super Smash Bros. was released for the Nintendo 64 in Japan. Over the last 21 years, Smash has become one of the most celebrated, adored, and hype-inducing series available on Nintendo's platforms. The character selection screen in Super Smash Bros. with all characters unlocked...
Poll Box Art Brawl #26 - Castlevania: Dracula X
Whip it good
Welcome back for another edition of Box Art Brawl, the weekly vote to see who triumphs over the first and second losers in a box art beauty pageant. Three regional versions of the same game cover battle it out to see who is the sharpest looker. Last week we had a returning series in the form of Resident Evil 2. We looked at the N64...
News 'Secret Screen' Nintendo 64 Prototype Resurfaces More Than 20 Years Later
Designer says Sega took the idea
While not exactly being the most commercially successful Nintendo console, the iconic N64 remains a firm favourite in the minds of gaming fans to this very day. Despite this, we doubt there are too many people out there who have seen this little oddity before. Retro gaming fan and preservationist Shane Battye has...
Poll Box Art Brawl #25 - Resident Evil 2
Biohazard REturns
Welcome again to Box Art Brawl, the weekly bout that sees regional variants of retro games compete to see which has the most attractive box-based visage. Last week featured a load of old balls - monkey balls, that is - as Super Monkey Ball 2 bounced off itself in battle. You lovely people decided that the European variant was the...
News Arcade1Up Is Reviving A Sega Classic That Has Never Been Seen Outside Of Arcades
And its NBA Jam cabinet is looking sweet, too
If you follow the retro gaming scene closely, then the name Arcade1Up will instantly ring a bell. This relatively new company scored a sizeable coup by gaining the licence to create an arcade cabinet containing Konami’s classic Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles arcade game, and it has followed up that...
News This Cube-Like Console Play Will Play Every Game Boy Game On Your TV
The next in the Retron line of consoles from Hyperkin
Hyperkin has just lifted the lid on its next games system, the Retron Jr., which plays Game Boy, Game Boy Color and Game Boy Advance games on your TV. The cube-like system connects to your television via HDMI and outputs in 720p. It comes bundled with a SNES-style wireless ‘Scout’...
Feature No Anime Please, We're Westerners - When Anime Was Taboo In Western Games
A time when anime and western games didn't mix
Japanese animation – or 'anime' as many call it – is huge business these days. While it is naturally most popular in its homeland, we've seen numerous anime properties cross over to the west and find the kind of success that is usually reserved for home-grown cartoons and media franchises. Series...
News This New Handheld Wants To Heal The Scars Of Gaming's Most Infamous Console War
Say hello to the Super Retro Champ
Back in the early '90s, Sega and Nintendo were bitter enemies, with their respective consoles fighting for dominance of living rooms all over the globe. There may be some of you who still consider this battle to be unfinished business, even in 2020, which is why My Arcade's Super Retro Champ could be a remarkable...
Poll Box Art Brawl #24 - Super Monkey Ball 2
Super Monkey Brawl
Welcome to the twenty-fourth (!) round of Box Art Brawl, the weekly regional box art battle that sees you settle the score and vote for the best regional cover design or a retro video game. It's the first brawl of 2020 - we hope you all had a spectacular start to the New Year and are ready to scrap once more! Last week we had a...
December2019
Poll Box Art Brawl #23 - Snowboard Kids
The kids were all right
Welcome to a festive edition of Box Art Brawl, where regional box art variants battle each other for the honour of your vote. Christmas is over, New Year is approaching, so it's time to hit the slopes as the snow settles in the interim. Last week Star Wars Episode I: Racer raced itself to the podium and t'was decreed by you...
Feature Why You'll Never Get To Play Your Favourite Retro Game On Switch
Companies really do want your money, but at the right price
A few weeks ago while scrolling through Twitter, a particular video clip caught our eye. It showed Slipstream, a 1995 F1 arcade game from Capcom. Using Sega’s System 32 board, it was produced in very limited quantities for the Latin American market and never saw wide release. As you can...
Feature How Pirate Television Helped Sega Beat Nintendo In The UK
"We were The Rolling Stones to Nintendo's Beatles"
The year is 1992. In a typical British household a typical British family is huddled around the television, still unsure about what has just transpired during the ad break of their typical British soap opera. Nestled among the traditional commercials for washing powder and breakfast cereal is a...
Feature 30 Weird And Wonderful Peripherals From Nintendo's History
Playing with power... and a whole lotta plastic
Nintendo’s history as a manufacturer of playing cards and toys means the company has always been very comfortable with expanding out from with video game console under the TV into the wider world of peripheral accessories and novelties. These extra lumps of plastic and electronics that interface with...
Feature I Think My Game Boy Predicts The Future
“What evil might this forbidden technology unleash?”
The Game Boy turned 30 last month – to the shock of those of us realising we are therefore well over 30. Where did the past go? I think it went into a nook at the end of my bookshelf – at least that’s where I found my old DMG-01, the original Game Boy. Like many reading this, I’m sure,...
Feature The Man Who Lost Tetris
The almost unbelievable story of Robert Maxwell
Media tycoon Robert Maxwell’s influence on the UK and international games’ software industry is the stuff of legend. As Dan Ackmerman’s writes in The Tetris Effect, Maxwell’s part in the international battle for the rights to Tetris resulted in legal battles between his son, Kevin Maxwell,...
Feature Your Beloved Games Console Is Slowly But Surely Dying
Parts failure. Power issues. Creepy-crawlies. Your system is under attack
"Everything put together falls apart" is the kind of sage-like adage that you often hear elderly relatives offering up over the dining table in-between moaning about Brexit and discussing the weather, and is a phrase most people under the age of 30 will surely dismiss out of...
Feature GoldenEye Dev David Doak On Shaking (And Stirring) The FPS Genre On Console
"All we could see were the bad things"
You couldn’t escape it. It was here, rife and potent. It ploughed a path through conventional gaming conversations from the casuals to the parents of gamers that had to put up with the noise, the screaming and the not going to bed because if you didn’t kill John with thirty-seven remote mines stuck to the...
Poll Box Art Brawl #22 - Star Wars Episode I: Racer
Brawling? This is podracing!
Welcome to Box Art Brawl, the series where regional box art variants battle against one another to find out which has the highest midi-chlorian count. Last week Kirby returned to Dream Land for an Adventure on Wii and it was decided that the angry North American cover was best, with Japan coming in second and the very...
Feature Uncovering The Story Behind Nintendo's Most Bizarre Tie-In
‘90s Mario mania, posthumous endorsements and White Knuckle Scorin'...
Uncanny, no? It’s Saturday morning and we’re relaxing on the sofa with a coffee, idly scrolling through Twitter while MTV Classics plays in the background. The 1992 video for Roy Orbison’s posthumously released track 'I Drove All Night' plays. Now, we’re partial to...
News 23 Years On, And We Still Can't Believe This Classic SNES RPG Didn't Get A US Release
Time to celebrate with a new remix album
On December 19th, 1996, Terranigma was released in the west. Quintet's final SNES release and part of a loose trilogy which also includes the superb Soul Blazer and Illusion of Gaia / Time (and ActRaiser, if you're feeling generous), Terranigma ranks as one of the best RPGs to grace Nintendo's 16-bit system...
News Check Out What's Inside The Wizard's 30th Anniversary Blu-ray Release
Two discs, bonus features and new cover artwork
It always amuses us when people debate the best video game-based movie of all time, because, in our opinion, there's only one choice – and it stars Fred Savage. The Wizard may have been a critical and commercial dud on its initial 1989 release, but it has gone down in history as a cult classic and...
News Hamster Is Bringing VS. Balloon Fight To The Switch eShop Next Week
Likely to be the last Arcade Archives release of 2019
Like many other companies, Hamster looks like it'll be working right up until the end of 2019. Its next classic game (arriving in all regions next week on 27th December) is likely to be the final Arcade Archives release of the year. It's Nintendo's 1984 arcade release VS. Balloon Fight. This...
News Someone Has Already Offered $1.2 Million For The SNES PlayStation Prototype
Big money
The owner of what is believed to be the only remaining Super Nintendo PlayStation prototype (outside of Sony's archives) has decided to sell this extremely rare system early next year via Heritage Auctions, after knocking back a million-dollar offer previously. For the uninformed, this unreleased system is able to play both Super Famicom...
Poll Box Art Brawl #21 - Kirby's Return To Dream Land
Or Kirby's Adventure Wii to his PALs
And we're back with another Box Art Brawl, the series where regional box art versions of the same video game go head-to-head in a public vote to find out which is superior. Last week we had a real scrap on our hands when Super Smash Bros. for the N64 brawled with itself. Democracy prevailed to decree the North...
Random Reggie Probably Had A Bigger SNES Collection Than Most Nintendo Fans
"I had over 80 games on that system"
The former Nintendo of America president Reggie Fils-Aimé has always said he was a fan of the company and while we've heard many stories in the past about the time he spent with Mario and the other Nintendo mascots in his younger years, we don't ever recall him mentioning the sheer amount of games he actually...
News Hundreds Of Fake NES Mini Consoles Seized By Anti-Counterfeiting Taskforce In The US
Estimated street value of $800k
The real NES Classic Mini sold by Nintendo Since the success of the NES Classic Mini, we've seen plenty of knock-off versions released that have no official ties with Nintendo. At a Triangle shopping center in Raleigh, North Carolina recently, an anti-counterfeiting
Gallery Unboxing Metal Storm, The NES Hidden Gem That's Getting A Second Chance
Irem's cult classic is available once more
While your typical console has plenty of AAA titles which gain plenty of attention and bumper sales, there are always a few underrated gems which slip through the cracks for one reason or another. Irem's Metal Storm is one such title; originally released in the US to positive reviews in 1991, it was...
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